


Someday

by Nonsensewords85



Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, F/F, Fluff, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-07 14:38:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16855840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonsensewords85/pseuds/Nonsensewords85
Summary: Lorna promised that someday she would return to Dawn. Sixteen years after the promise was made Dawn has a chance to see it fulfilled.





	1. Monthly Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I normally avoid long author's notes, as I prefer the stories to stand on their own, but as this story is a bit different than my normal fare I think it helpful to have some extra context. Feel free to skip it, it's just background on the story's world. 
> 
> This story takes place sixteen years in the future. It follows the adventures of Dawn, now a sixteen year old, raised by her 'grandmother' and attending school at a prestigious Swiss Academy where humans and mutants live together.
> 
> This story came about because as much as I enjoy The Gifted, it looks like it's heading for cancelation. And honestly I feel like there's a lot of wasted potential with the characters caused by the show's seeming desire to 'show all sides'. So I was thinking of how much I'd love to see another attempt following Dawn in the future and decided to write this. The story takes place in a future where after a series of events set off by the events in the Gifted, mutants are more accepted than they were in the show's time. There is still a lot of prejudice but it's more implicit in American Society. Also, I've decided that other countries reacted differently to the emergence of mutants and am not commenting that I think any particular country is 'better', just that different cultures might approach things differently. I'm not interested in debates regarding people's views on how countries would react or etc. 
> 
> The 'past events' that lead to Dawn's world aren't predictions for the show, and I am reasonably certain the show's events won't match what I have. I have these past details thought out to an extent, but I'll only be layering them in as they become relevant. For those who need the context, I'll include an afterward with some key events in the world (which may never directly come up), which you can avoid if you don't like spoilers. 
> 
> Also, I'm not really sympathetic to Jace or the purifiers so my timeline does not reflect kindly on them. If you are that's fine. 
> 
> Also Rina Logan is originally from Marvel's M-2 alternate future storyline. I've decided I want to use her here because I've always enjoyed the character and think she'd be a great match for Dawn as I have written her. 
> 
> Also Dawn has an anxiety disorder which is reflected in the narration at times.

"..She smells. Like this intense musty odor and it just. Look it should be gross but it isn’t… I’m sorry Aunt Esme.”

The blond sitting across the table from Dawn was smiling. It was a radiant smile, one that always made Dawn’s heart flutter a little. Like Dawn was the most important thing in the world. It was how Dawn always imagined her mother might look at her.

“There’s nothing to apologize for Dawn. I’m always happy to listen to you.”

“But we only get to see each other for an hour every month and I’ve wasted it whining about Rina like a little kid.”

Esme’s hands began to move towards Dawn. The teenager wanted little more in that moment than to feel the warmth from those delicate hands. It would be a reassurance that Esme wasn’t mad and that Dawn hadn’t screwed up the entire visit. However, before Esme’s hand reached hers a forced cough stilled the telepath’s hands. The sound emanated from the guard standing in the corner. Dawn glared at him, resentful of the intrusion into her time with her aunt. Esme laughed lightly and Dawn’s head whipped away from the guard and back to the other woman.

“Sorry honey. You just looked so much like your mother. She’d get that same look sometimes.”

The silence that followed was thick. It felt suffocating to Dawn. And it was only broken by a ticking sound. Which wasn’t real. She knew it was in her head. There wasn’t any analog clocks in the room. The only watch was the one the guard wore and it was digital. But that was okay and not a sign that she was crazy, because Dawn wasn’t really hearing it, at least not with her ears. It was more of a remembered sound. One that the situation forced her to recall and according to Doc Ann was just a way her mind manifested the stress of the crushing time limit that was imposed on her time with her aunt.

In that sense it was real. Though she couldn’t hear it she could feel it. The escaping time. It was streaming away like air from a punctured oxygen line. And like said line when it finally ran out it would be hard to breathe and she wasn’t sure she could take the pain again. But she’d have to because it was going to happen.

The guard would be keeping his eyes on his watch and when the readout changed she’d be removed. Away from Esme, who was the closest she would ever get to knowing her mother, for another month.

Her chest started to heave. It was hot in the room. Too hot. She wanted to take her clothes off. Or at least rip the shirt open so she could breathe. Because she couldn’t. No matter how many breathes she took her lungs ached and it was just too much. She had to calm down. Or the guard would notice and if he freaked out then it could get worse. She wouldn’t be responsible for something happening to Esme.

It hurt to do so but she remained still and closed her eyes. When they had shut and the outside world disappeared from view she was forced to confront her body. It wasn’t pleasant. With her eye closed the sensations felt worse. With her attention turned inward, there was nothing to distract her from the sensations coursing through her. But she endured. She had to. Doing so was only the first step in getting back her control.

Then, she forced herself to acknowledge each sensation, despite the pain. She started with her pulse. It was racing, as if she had played basketball with Rina. Her heart thrummed forcefully against her chest. Next, every inch of her skin felt like it was tingling. The hairs stood on end and her sensation upon her skin was an irritation that served only to distract her.

It almost felt like there was a physical pressure contracting against her. Her clothes felt as if they were made of lead, their weight constricting her breathing. The weight of the guard’s stare only made it worse. And to add to all of that were the weight of the expectations Esme had for her. It all added to the trapped feeling, like a hand squeezing her lungs.

She could see that hand so clearly. And just like her grandmother had taught her she focused on that image and tried to keep breathing. Long, slow breaths. She counted out the beats in her head. After a five count she’d release. Then she’d breathe in for another five count. Hold for five, release for five, breathe in for five. She repeated the movement again and again. And with each repetition she imagined the hand slowly releasing. Slowly she could feel the panic recede. When she felt like doing so wouldn’t cause her to spiral out of control she opened her eyes and found her aunt watching her.

“I’m really proud of you honey,” Esme said. The smile was gone now. But Dawn could see the affection there and the concern. “Have you been having them more lately?”

“Just sometimes,” the teen mumbled. Great and now she made her Aunt worry. Stupid panic attacks. Stupid generalized anxiety disorder. And she was starting to spiral again. So another breathe to interrupt it and break the cycle. When she exhaled again she tried to focus on the woman in front of her. “This was a bad one. I’m sorry.”

“You need to stop apologizing so much sweetie,” Esme said. “You’re doing really well. You got control of it really easy. I’m very impressed. So’s Carl, right Carl?”

Dawn rolled her eyes at her aunt’s antics. It was one of Esme’s little jokes. In the year they’d known him Carl had never said a word except to enforce the rules. When Esme addressed him he generally just grunted and went back to watching his watch. No doubt to make sure Dawn didn’t overstay by even a second. Or, at most, he’d arch an eyebrow at them. Which he did this time and in response Esme scrunched up her face and smiled. Which shouldn’t have made Dawn laugh but it did. Clearly she was still overly emotional after the panic attack. But despite herself she smiled. Aunt Esme could always get her to relax. Even when Dawn didn’t want to. She suspected it was her aunt’s real superpower.

They sat in amiable silence for another few seconds. Esme would watch her and despite Dawn’s shitty mood would flash a goofy expression to make her smile. Soon enough the teen was grinning back and had almost forgot about Carl. So of course he had to speak.

“Time’s up.”

Dawn wanted to protest, was about to when a soft look from Esme stopped her. She had to remember that her aunt had agreed to be trapped in this place for her. And her mom. Which wasn’t fair. Her mom and aunt were heroes. They had been the ones to stop Bastion and prevent the destruction of the human race. And as a result her mom had spent almost all of Esme’s life in a coma. And her aunt had lived under house arrest.

And if Dawn could fix it all the teenager knew she’d pay any price. But Esme had told Dawn time and again her only responsibility was how she acted, not the choices Esme and Lorna had made. So Dawn decided, again, to not make Esme’s time harder, or do anything to risk their monthly visits. And once again Dawn stood, ready to be escorted out of the sitting room. But, before Carl lead her from the room she looked at her Aunt one last time.

“I’ll see you next month sweetie. And you can tell me all about this girl you have a crush on,” Esme said.

“I don’t…” Dawn started before falling silent under the weight of Esme’s stare. It wasn’t worth arguing about, the teen knew. Not when her aunt looked like that. Though they weren’t related by blood, Dawn knew she and Esme had the same stubborn streak. And the teenager didn’t want her last words to her aunt for a whole month to be an argument. “Bye Aunt Esme. I love you.”

And before she could cry, or feel any worse, Dawn did what she had to and left the room. Unfortunately Carl followed. She could feel his presence behind her as she made her way dawn the long corridor leading from the sitting room where she always met her aunt.

“I can get back on my own,” she whined. Which was annoying. She wasn’t a kid. She was seventeen, about to be eighteen in a month and could fucking walk down a plush hallway to an elevator and then out an elevator to the helipad by herself.

But Carl just kept following her. Every fucking time she visited since he’d taken over. For the last year he’d been in charge of supervising her visits with Esme. And unlike his predecessor he made his presence known. The asshole would shadow her every step of the way from the helipad to the small room in Esme’s cell where they had their visits and back. He was always there, lurking, listening. Making his presence known by enforcing all the little stupid rules they were supposed to follow, and for all the years she’d been coming to the great gilded cage where Esme lived under house arrest, hadn’t. Like the no touching rule. And that Dawn wasn’t supposed to use her powers. Which meant she could no longer show Esme all of the progress she’d made in controlling them.

And that wasn’t even the worst part about his lurking. Yeah it sucked that she could no longer make Esme proud of her progress and G-d did she want to hug her aunt more often, but the worst was just knowing he was there listening. It made it so fucking awkward to share anything with her aunt. Really Dawn wanted to just hold it all in and deny him the voyeuristic pleasure of knowing the intimate details of her life. But in the end since this was the only time she had with her aunt, Dawn would break and share everything. Every personal thought, fear and worry just like her aunt wanted. And so Carl was privy to all of her secrets. Even this stupid embarrassing belief of Esme’s that Dawn was crushing on Rina.

Which was clearly absurd. Of course Dawn wasn’t. The other girl was loud mouthed, obnoxious and just about as gross as any boy. And okay Rina wasn’t too bad to look at. She had nicely curved calves and thick corded muscles for arms that Dawn did enjoy stealing the occasional glance at. And that ass. And while Rina wasn’t the most endowed girl, she wasn’t flat chested by any means. Dawn was pretty sure Rina’s breasts would be a nice mouthful. Not that she thought about that. Or if Rina would taste like she smelled.

Dawn was suddenly acutely aware of how limited the space in the elevator was. And that she was blushing. And that of course Carl was looking at her and thinking whatever stupid thoughts he thought. Probably something obnoxious.

“Seriously what is the point of you escorting me out? I’ve been doing the same thing every month for most of my life. I’m not going to get lost. And if I wanted to free my aunt you couldn’t stop me.”

He just grunted again. The sound frustrating her even further. She was right and he just should admit it. The whole exercise was so ridiculous. If she waned to help Esme escape it wasn’t like he could stop her. She could have left him a charred corpse before he could even react. Or created an illusion around her aunt and escorted the blonde prisoner to freedom before he ever noticed. Or rendered him blind and stabbed him with a solid light dagger.

And he acted as if she was just some snot nosed kid who needed baby sitting. Even now he wasn’t really acknowledging her. He was fucking ignoring her and going through the motions. Which was even more ridiculous. If she was such a fucking danger that she couldn’t be left alone shouldn’t he be watching her for signs that she was gonna attack or something?

“I could take you, you know,” she insisted. She hated the petulant tone in her words. It made her sound weak, little a little kid.

“I’ve got no doubt kid,” he replied. She was sure she could hear traces of amusement in his voice. Her vision swam. She hated him. So much. The elevator doors opened and she was almost happy to see the helicopter. Yes it meant leaving Esme behind again, but it also meant she wouldn’t be as tempted to do something to Carl.

Who had frozen in the elevator, a frown contorting his face. One hand moved to his ear, the other to cup the bulge where she was reasonably certain he concealed a gun. A bolt of lightning surged inside her. Had he realized her thoughts? Had she finally pushed him too far? Could she really do this? Yeah she’d been practicing her powers and could do a pretty decent solid light sculpture, but could she really make a wall to stop a bullet? Or kill him?

Her body was balanced on a knife’s edge, her mind moving quickly through the options at her disposal. Making a mirage was too risky unless she also made a shield. He was highly trained and he knew what she could do, so he’d assume if she vanished or seemed to be a couple of feet from where she’d just been that she was manipulating the light reaching his eyes. Illusions were only useful when you could be subtle, or when they didn’t know where you started from. She could melt the gun, he’d get some burns but she wouldn’t have to kill him and she could sell that it was self defense easier. Though she wasn’t entirely sure what the melting point of the weapon would be. And if she wasn’t careful she might ignite the powder inside the bullet and shoot herself. Which left striking first and solid light manipulation. Killing him would only create more trouble. She’d never be able to sell that she was in danger if she struck him down with a laser blast before he pulled his gun free. America had changed a lot in her lifetime but Rina always said that the courts were still stacked against Metas like them.

Which left solid light objects. She could use one to knock him out. But could she create that quickly? Creating solid light objects took time. Time she didn’t really have. And focus. She had to know the object she wanted to create, every contour and focus on it. The only thing she knew that well to do quickly was the vase she’d been working on. And what use was that in a fight?

As if answering her question a memory of Rina’s voice came to her. Rina had been trying, unsuccessfully, to teach Dawn the basics of hand to hand self defense. Dawn had thought it would be a way to bond with the other girl. But it had just been frustrating and the two had quickly retreated to their separate rooms, not speaking to each other for the rest of that first day. But Rina hadn’t surrendered and made it her personal mission to get Dawn passable. Which meant additional lessons with little improvement.

And in that moment Dawn was thankful that Rina had followed through. Because she remembered something important. Most people reacted instinctively when anything came at their face. They shied away and tried to defend against it. Which would give Dawn a couple of seconds. Which is all she needed.

Her decision was made in the blink of an eye. Her brain had quickly pulled all of the relevant data together and she’d run through it in an instant. Her grandmother called it the benefit of her anxiety disorder. She was well used to the surge of adrenaline and managing her flight or fight instincts. Where others wasted precious seconds trying to process what was happening she simply embraced the adrenaline and put it to work.

In those moments her entire world felt brittle and crisp. The surging panic and the pain it brought was sublimated into a feeling of energy. She felt focused, her body ready to move. She could do this.

But something wasn’t right. His brow was scrunched and his face twisted as if were thinking. The hand near his head was formed into a cup over his ear. The ear where he kept the earbud he used to communicate with the rest of his team. He was listening to something. And she needed to hear it. Her life could depend on it.

She could almost hear the exchange. A short burst of static and then hurried panic words. The tone made it clear that something was wrong. Desperately wrong. She tried to predicate the cause. It would determine what happened next. Was it an external threat? It was possible that some purifier cell had escaped and was trying to take revenge, or some other psycho had decided house arrest wasn’t good enough, though a decade in was a strange time to make that play.

Was Esme trying to escape? But why now? Nothing would have changed. Dawn’s mother was still in a coma in the east wing, hooked up to machines keeping her alive. Esme wouldn’t seek to escape without her. Dawn was sure of that. And her aunt wouldn’t put her at risk like this. So it had to be external. But Carl was looking towards the east wing.

“What the fuck is going on,” the guard demanded. The voice on the other end didn’t answer. Dawn felt her body rebelling against the enforced stillness. It screamed at her to take advantage of his distraction. But she was missing information. She was sure of it. So she watched and waited, careful not to draw his attention.

“Fucking rookies I swear if they fucked up a simple babysitting assignment for a woman in a G-ddamned coma I will have their asses,” he muttered. And it clicked for Dawn. Something was wrong with her mom. Lorna could be under attack. She had to get there.

She had started to move forward towards the elevator when Carl’s head lifted up and he stared at her hard. She recognized the look. Rina got it sometimes. He was doing what Dawn had a second ago, weighing factors, making choices. Tactical thinking Rina called it.

Dawn kept walking, but her senses were now fully turned on him. If her mom was in danger that changed things. She still didn’t want to kill him. But she wasn’t going to hold back as much either. She had to get through him as quickly as possible and get to her mom.

“Hold up kid,” he barked. Her intentions must have been clear on her face. Which made things easier in a way. She raised a glowing palm towards him.

“I don’t want to hurt you Carl. But I’m going to help my mom. Toss the gun and get the fuck out of my way.” She was bluffing really. Which she knew was stupid. Rina always told her not to start something she couldn’t finish. But her mom was in trouble and she couldn’t waste time with a fight.

Clearly he wasn’t impressed. His hand dropped from his gun, yes but his face didn’t scream oh please Dawn don’t kill me. If sarcasm could be visible is how she’d describe it. His tone also didn’t convey the appropriate level of terror.

“G-d save me from teenagers and their fucking hero complexes. I swear if my kids end up being even half as much of a handful I’m gonna die from a damn ulcer. Put your hand down and calm down. We’ll get this sorted.”

So Dawn doubled down. What else was she supposed to do? Just because he hadn’t read the script didn’t mean she didn’t know how this went. He was going to try and stop her. She’d have to deal with him. And steal whatever key cards he had on him and then go up the elevator. She’d never been allowed to see her mother, but Aunt Esme was. So she could find her Aunt and they could go to the east wing together.

The east wing which, as she was forming her plan, promptly exploded. Dawn screamed. Her mind went blank and she fell to her knees. She was vaguely aware of Carl cursing again. Aunt Esme was going to be mad at him, assuming she was still alive.

Dawn forced down the rising panic and stood again. It was even more important that she get moving. Her mom needed her. To save her or avenge her. And Dawn wasn’t going to let her down.

“Okay, I’m impressed. Still not letting you get on this elevator kid,” Carl said.

She met his glare with one of her own.

“You’re not going to stop me.”

“Well that’s a no-brainer. You’re gonna stop yourself kid,” he said. “Give me a minute to explain what I know and then you can try operation fight the highly trained agents, if you still want to.”

He seemed to take her silence as assent. In reality she was only half listening. The rest of her mind was preparing for what came next.

“Your mom just woke up. The explosion you heard and the debris we saw is her ripping the hospital wing of your aunt’s place apart. The idiot in charge of monitoring her didn’t notice her wake up and didn’t get your aunt right away. So best we can guess your mom thinks she’s a captive and your aunt is in danger. I’m gonna go and talk her down. But I need you to stay here.”

Emotions surged and warred inside Dawn. Delight that her mother was alive. Terror that her mother was going to be seen as the threat and handled. Determination to finally meet her mother. But it all added up to one thing. Nothing had changed. Dawn needed into the elevator.

“No,” she declared, “I’m coming with you.”

“Kid that’s not a good idea.”

“I’m not a kid. I’m sixteen and she’s my mother and she won’t hurt me. Beside I’m more worried about one of your guards getting trigger happy and ending the ‘mutie menace’” she snarled.

Carl’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head at her.

“Christ what are they teaching you at that Swiss school? Look kid I don’t care that your mom’s a meta. I want to make sure everyone gets out of this safely. Your mom. My men. Your aunt. You and me too. And the only way to do that is to get your mom to calm down. Right now she’s lashing out and out of control. Like that anxiety attack you had earlier but without the impressive control thing you do.”

Surprise filled her. Was that an actual compliment from him? Though it did just prove her point about how annoying it was having him there for the visits. Dawn was sure she didn’t look convinced because he kept talking.

“I get it. But I don’t think you get the situation. Your mom isn’t in her right mind. No, shut up and listen. I’ve read her file and studied the fuck out of it. She’s bipolar and they haven’t been giving her her meds while she’s been out. And her manic episodes tend to manifest with extreme aggression and they trigger when she panics. And she’s just woken up in a strange medical facility attached to a bunch of tubes and wires and her last memory was fighting for her life against an actual monster. And she’s got a history with hospitals and labs. Bad history. So she’s freaking out. Flight or fight style. And it’s probably triggered one of her manic phases. Now how do you think she’s gonna react if some sixteen year old claims to be her daughter? I see two options. Option one she thinks we’re lying to her cause she thinks you’re still a baby and safely in the Alps at that fancy school of yours. Option two she’s able to recognize you despite the state she’s in and she realizes she’s missed over twelve years of your life. Either way she ain’t calming down. And then things escalate. And people get hurt. So let me do this. Once she’s calmed down I swear you can see her. I won’t put you on the chopper till you do.”

Dawn says nothing. But she doesn’t move either and whatever is being said in his ear piece makes him decide that he’ll have to settle for that. He hits the button for the elevator. It opens and swallows him inside it. And then he’s gone. And she’s alone with the chopper.

Her emotions are a mess. No that’s an understatement. They are a swirling hurricane and she isn’t sure how she is as clear headed as she is right now. She gets it. Despite what Carl says, she does. She’s felt that mind numbing terror and need to defend oneself and escape. Hell she’s felt it over fairly mundane circumstances. She knows how this will go. If her mother is in a similar state, Carl can’t talk her down. Even Aunt Esme wouldn’t really understand what it felt like, or what needed to be said.

But Dawn did. Dawn new this state better than anyone. She’d spent more time in fight or flight already than most people did in their entire lifetimes. Her grandmother always said she was born the way she was for a reason and that she had to find the good even in the bad.

In that moment Dawn had. She could help her mother. She just had to be strong. Like Rina. Her friend wouldn’t stop at anything to rescue someone she cared about. And neither would Dawn. 

With her mind made up Dawn wrapped herself in light and stepped forward to call the elevator. Which didn’t come. The keypad told her it was nonoperational. That asshole Carl disabled it. Which meant she needed another way. She tried to think of another way. But the sound of the helicopter blades made it hard. Helicopter blades. The two words made her smile.

Well it would definitely be a story to share with Rina later, Dawn thought as she walked to the helipad determined to commandeer the helicopter.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Free Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I have to admit that this is one of my favorite stories that I'm working on and I love seeing that others are enjoying it too. Unfortunately, it's also one of the hardest to write so I'm sorry for the short chapters and long delays. I was hoping to have a more fleshed out chapter but the way a project at work is looking it seems like it'll be a bit before I get a chance to work on it again and it turns out I'd reached a good cliffhanger so I figured I'd share it. I hope you enjoy.

…this is a terrible idea,” the pilot says for the umpteenth time. Dawn is starting to wonder if he knows how to say anything else. She’s had to listen to some variation of his complaint several times already. Not that he’s wrong exactly. Her entire plan is fucking insane. But she can’t think of anything else.

She’s tempted to tell him to shut up. But she’s afraid to speak. There’s too great a chance of him recognizing her voice. She knows she got lucky down on the helipad, that he couldn’t hear very well over the roaring wind and the rotors, so he’d relied on his sight. Sight which she was able to control. At least so long as she manages to hold the illusion of Carl she’s conjured. And she needs it to hold.

The fact that every time the pilot looks back he sees Carl, his boss, and not Dawn is the only reason she’s been able to get him to cooperate. And honestly he’s been more recalcitrant than Dawn had expected. He’s complained incessantly and tried to get her to change her mind several times. Apparently Carl was way too lenient with his agents. Weren’t they supposed to just listen to his commands? Or even jump into the dangerous situations without being asked? She was pretty sure that was how that was supposed to work.

It certainly worked that way in the old American action movies she’d stay up late watching with Rina and Tara. The thought brings a smile to her lips. Their weekly movie nights were some of her favorite things, ranking up with getting to see her Aunt or spending time with her grandmother.

It wasn’t the movies themselves. They were silly and ridiculous, featuring heavily muscled tough American men saving the day with the most violence possible and more than a few absurd taglines. But the corniness was half the fun. The other half was the ritual itself.

Every Friday night the three of them would take over one of the lounges scattered throughout the dorms. Tara was responsible for the video, which either came from her private collection or was snuck out of the viewing library on the grounds. Dawn would take care of the snacks, sneaking into the kitchen to liberate what they needed. Rina refused to help and simply stayed in the lounge, bitching and moaning about whatever Tara was forcing them to watch. Though Dawn suspected it wasn’t a coincidence the lounge was always free for them to use. Rina could be scary when called for.

Invariably they’d end up seated on the same couch, munching on whatever she’d managed to steal and making light banter. For Rina and Tara many of these movies were things they’d seen before. For Dawn they were a new and exciting window into the home she couldn’t remember. The viewing would be peppered with commentary. Rina’s was often mocking and sardonic. Tara tended to get more into them, giving some factoid about the movie or location. For Dawn it was the only glimpse of the world outside their school, the surrounding towns, Esme’s home and the few airports needed to get there.

But it was more than the cultural exposure that Dawn loved. It was also spending time with her friends. She liked to think that was why all three participated each week. Not that Rina would ever admit it.

Rina would pretend to be bored by the movie and the company and would declare that she was only there under protest, and would spend much of it whispering to Dawn, who would in turn be trying to ignore how close the other girl was. Which was impossible, because invariably Rina would be pushed up against her. Which was totally Tara’s fault. As the night’s movie marathon wore on Tara would inevitably start to spread out, taking over more and more of the couch, until finally Rina and Dawn where squished onto the same cushion. That situation had only gotten worse now that Raquel seemed to be joining them. Even with Raquel practically sitting in her girlfriend’s lap there wasn’t really enough room on the couch for all four of them. A soft blush suffuses Dawn’s cheeks as she remembers how Rina had ended up practically in her lap.

Slowly Dawn’s breathing slows and she’s able to remain calm over the roaring wind and cacophony of the rotor blades cutting through the air. It’s not just the sound agitating her though. Or the distance they are off the ground. It’s not even the incredibly stupid plan she’s come up with. It’s the thought of finally seeing her mother. What would they say to each other? Was Carl right and her mother wouldn’t recognize her? Or worse yet be upset to see her? It’s all too much to think about and so Dawn focuses on her friends. Who she’ll get to see again if she pulls this off. Once she pulls this off.

Dawn tries to imagine their reactions. Tara would be scandalized and try and play it off with an eye roll and a quip about how the movies weren’t meant to be blueprints. And Rina… well Rina was never going to believe it.

Hell, Dawn barely believes she’s doing this. It’s fucking insane. She’s not an action hero, or a highly trained special agent or… well a bad ass like her mother. And she’s pretty sure her mother never tried anything like this. Aunt Esme would have mentioned it surely. At least in the, by the way your mother did this stupid thing so don’t you dare do it, way that her aunt had when telling Dawn about her mother.

This plan was definitely more of a Rina thing. Dawn had seen Rina do something similar once. Only that had been a balcony and Rina could heal pretty much any injury in seconds. Oh and from what little her friend was willing to share about her childhood, Rina had also spent a lifetime being raised by an elite ninja assassin and training to do that sort of thing.

Dawn, on the other had, has yet to master falling from a standing position properly, let alone when leaping out of an helicopter without a chute. Which she knows means that her plan is even dumber. There’s a non-zero chance that even if she survives the jump she’ll do something stupid like land wrong at the last second and sprain her ankle. She’d never live it down if she went through all of this only to sideline herself.

But she can’t let that stop her. Not now that they’re finally in position. She can see the gaping hole where her mother has ripped apart the ceiling. From what she can see it’s a metal and glass construct, similar to what you’d see in a greenhouse. It seems out of place in a mansion of stone, but she’s not an expert on architecture. Maybe it’s a thing Americans like. Or, well maybe it’s cause her aunt likes the sun. It must be obnoxious being trapped at home all the time.

She knows she’s stalling. Fear is coursing through her and suddenly she wants nothing more than to be back on the ground. But her mother needs her. So she jumps.

Everything changes when she steps into the open air. Even before her mind registers the strange sensation of hurtling towards the ground she knows the truth. She’s miscalculated. Her trajectory is off and instead of hurtling towards the gaping hole where there had once been the glass ceiling of an atrium she was about to crash into the thick stone roof adorning a nearby section of the building.

She should probably be worried. Or trying to maintain control of her emotions in the face of immanent death and the accompanying anxiety. Only she’s not even the least bit anxious. A chill has fallen over her thoughts. The world around her seems brighter and for once Dawn is completely in the moment. No thoughts of the past haunt her and no thoughts of the future terrorize her.

The sensation isn’t new. She’s felt it before. When she had gone with Rina to a seedy club the year before to figure out who had been terrorizing their mutual friend. They’d found some sort of terrorist cell. And instead of getting help or reporting the activities to the proper authorities she’d followed Rina as the American went to “put a stop to it”.

She’d told herself that it was to keep Rina safe. Which had been laughable. Rina had ended up keeping her safe during the ensuing firefight. And had done most of the following fighting. Though Dawn had managed to take out a few of their assailants by dropping a light fixture on them. Rina had been mildly impressed by that.

Dawn wasn’t sure why though. It wasn’t anything like what Rina had done, taking down ten armed men with minimal collateral damage. Dawn had barely handled two of them. And it wasn’t like she’d done anything impressive like wrap her legs around a mans neck and use them to throw him to the floor, knocking him unconscious before he could fire a shot, like Rina had. The only contribution Dawn had provided was to cut a chain while cowering behind cover.

Rina had seemed impressed that Dawn had known to do that. Had asked several questions about it. Dawn hadn’t had answers. She’d just known to cut the chain. It was as if her overactive brain had already taken stock of everything in the room and when the time came it was easy enough to bring it into play. They were standing there so cut the chain and poof knocked out terrorist.

It was the same now. She was hurtling towards stone. Stone melted. Yes at extremely high temperatures but still it could melt. Just like the chain. And suddenly being forced to take advanced science classes when she was in middle school wasn’t so bad. She’d complained at the time, but now she was thankful that remnants of the class were still stuck in her memory. When light struck dark stone it converted to heat energy. Heat energy which could melt the stone in a super precise way akin to cutting it. So a focused enough beam of light could effectively slice through the ceiling. She just has to hope that there’s a room underneath and not just endless stone.

She’s closer to the roof now. Time is running out. But that’s okay. She’s got this. Her eyes snap shut. Her sight is only getting in the way, forcing her to focus on the impending doom and not what she needs to do to survive.

With her eyes closed she turns her attention outward. And she can feel it. Even with the rushing wind tearing at her, she can feel it. It’s like an extension of herself. Light. It’s all around her. Diffuse and lazy. But she can change that.

She reaches out, the way she’s been practicing, and calls it to her. It obeys. The light comes to her. The sky not immediately around her dims as the area around her begins to glow. She can’t see it, but she knows it’s happening. She can feel the light gathering around her. It embraces her in a soft enjoyable shroud. It’s similar to how she feels when Rina is forced against her by Tara’s feet. The thought galvanizes her. She’s going to see Rina again.

Her eyes flip open. The shroud bleeds away from the rest of her until it is only gathered in front of her hands. She needs to get this right. She’ll only have one chance.

The light pours into the dark stone. For a terrifying instant nothing happens. Fear flits through her mind and the beam sputters. But she can’t let it die. She has to push back the fears, the niggling self doubt and anxiety and just focus. She pours everything she has into this. And then she can feel the light searing through the stone, piercing the rock.

It’s like a burst of oxygen filling her lungs after holding her breath underwater. Elation surges inside her and the beam responds. Its intensity grows and she moves it steadily and surely. She traces a square, nothing fancy, and hopefully large enough for her to safely fall through without touching the molten rock on the sides of the entry. When she returns the beam to the start something amazing happens. Cut off from the rest of the stone, the square slab inside the perimeter of her cuts surrenders to gravity. It falls, smashing into pieces against the carpet lying over the hardwood floor of the hallway beneath.

Like she will if she doesn’t slow her descent.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline:  
> -Inner Circle's incident with the Bank Raid.  
> -Purifier led riots targeting mutants and any 'sympathizers'.  
> -Under Jace's leadership the Purifier cells are horrifically effective and overwhelm local police ability to respond.   
> -Purifier riots spread throughout the country, resulting in mass casualties and terror. Anyone thought to be a mutant, provide aid to a mutant or do business with a mutant is targeted. Similar to the period of American history when the Klu Klux Klan was at the height of its power. Purifiers infiltrate most civic and political organizations.  
> \- Inner Circle dissolves over infighting about how to respond.   
> \- Esme and Lorna work to bring down the purifiers.  
> \- Jace works to put an end to the mutant problem once and for all. Using his new power reaches out to the trask and other similar organizations and works to create the Bastion Project.   
> -Bastion Project is robotic ai designed to end the mutants once and for all.   
> -Bastion is successfully completed and turns on humans. It determines that the x gene is no different than any other human variable and that all humans must be eliminated.   
> -Lorna and Eseme and a rag tag team band together to stop Bastion. Marcus, Lorna and Esme are in a love triangle.  
> -Bastion has developed technology to 'purify' humans turning them into cybernetic slaves. Bastion takes over the Purifiers. Esme's sisters are early fatalities in the battle with Bastion's Purifiers.   
> -Marcus is captured and 'purified' and is then rescued by the resistance.   
> -In the final battle with Bastion Marcus is forced to betray the team, causing several fatalities, including Reed, Warhawk, and Reeva.   
> -Esme manages to free Marcus enough to allow him one minute of clarity.   
> -Marcus and Lorna destroy Bastion. Marcus dies and Lorna is falls into a coma. Esme does not flee with the other survivors in order to stay by Lorna's side.   
> -Esme negotiates with the federal government - house arrest and care for Lorna in exchange for all of the information she has on the Purifiers and the Bastion Project.   
> -Esme become a national sensation as a result and is credited with bringing an end to the Purifer's reign of terror, due to the arrests her information brings. Her lawyer at her sentencing manages to spin her story very effectively and while public opinion on her is split hearts and mind are shifted.   
> -Dawn's guardian, who she views as her grandmother, takes her to the Swiss School. Dawn grows up there. Dawn's powers manifest early. She has the power to manipulate, control and generate light. She can create solid light objects, laser beams, illusions and render herself invisible.   
> -When Dawn enters high school Rina Logan joins her class. Rina is daughter of Wolverine and Psylocke. She ages slower, has a healing factor, heightened senses and physical abilities, has psychic claws.   
> -Dawn and Rina have a love/hate relationship.   
> -Esme has used her time under house arrest, and using funds leftover from the Inner Circle, to start a business which is wildly successful. She also negotiated monthly visits w/ Dawn - but she only gets one hour. The state department flies Dawn in and oversees the visit and then sees her back to the School.  
> -Dawn is a Swiss Citizen. The Swiss integrated mutants into their society much quicker, under the rationale that it was advantageous to do so. Swiss society also eschews the term mutant and that mutants are a separate race, and instead use the term Meta-humans.


End file.
